Breathe deeply and be proud, Pueblo: Your air is clean

Published: June 29, 2013;Last modified: August 8, 2014 10:43AM

Ten years ago, Pueblo passed the Pueblo Smoke-Free Air Act to protect public health and welfare. Ordinance No. 6921 was approved by Pueblo citizens at a special municipal election on May 20, 2003, by a vote of 11,602 to 7,935.

Here’s how a smoke-free ordinance protects the public’s health:

Studies show tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air pollution, and that secondhand smoke contains disease-causing toxins and carcinogens. Secondhand smoke is deemed a Class A carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency.

People who are at increased risk of harm are children, older adults, people with cardiovascular disease or impaired respiratory function, and individuals who work in facilities where smoking is permitted, such as service workers in bars and restaurants.

Prohibiting smoking in public places and places of employment protects Pueblo’s residents. In the three years after the Pueblo Smoke-Free Air Act took effect, hospital admissions for heart attacks dropped 41 percent for Pueblo residents from the 18-month period before the ordinance.

This drop in heart attacks was significant, and the Pueblo study was published in the MMWR, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publication. It also was cited in an Institute of Medicine report on the dangers of secondhand smoke and effectiveness of smoke-free ordinances and laws.

An economic-impact study published in 2010 showed revenue for bars slightly decreased after the implementation of the smoking ban, but that was offset by an increase in restaurant revenue. The ratio of restaurant openings to closings did not change over the study period.

Since 2003, other measures across Colorado have improved the health of Coloradans and visitors:

There also have been health interventions at the local level, including smoke-free playgrounds, parks and business campuses.

Although there have been great strides toward eliminating secondhand smoke exposure, any tobacco use still impacts health. New tobacco products are constantly being introduced, such as flavored little cigars, dissolvable tobacco, nicotine lozenges, electronic cigarettes and electronic hookahs.

Quitting tobacco is not easy, but quitting will lead to a better quality of life. For help quitting tobacco use, visit www.coquitline.org. or call 800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669).

Thank you, Pueblo, for 10 years of smoke-free air! I would like to thank health educators Cathryn Sanchez and Scott Schulle for their assistance with this column.

Dr. Christine Nevin-Woods, director of the Pueblo City-County Health Department, has both a medical degree and a master’s degree in public health and preventive medicine.